Jena, 05th December 2019 – Non-muscle invasive bladder tumors can be treated with the Trans-Urethral Laser Ablation TULA® of the laser pioneer biolitec® in an extremely precise and tissue-sparing way. The laser procedure can be carried out on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia or even without anesthesia and offers the advantage over the previous standard procedure that general anesthesia can be avoided. This also makes it suitable for high-risk patients.
With the TULA® method, a laser fiber made of high-quality quartz glass is inserted into the bladder by means of a flexible cystoscopy. With the biolitec® laser LEONARDO® DUAL the bladder tumors are irradiated with a combination of two wavelengths. The combination of the two wavelengths 980 nm and 1470 nm offers the possibility of simultaneous vaporization and coagulation. The wavelengths are designed to achieve the highest absorption in water and hemoglobin. Thus reduces the risk of perforation to a minimum. Due to only minor bleeding during the operation, the visibility of the surgical area is significantly improved.
Mr Sachin Agrawal, Urologist at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, London, explains the choice of biolitec® laser with its versatility in a wide range of therapies. For this reason, the laser is also used in Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals in several therapeutic areas. The laser device originates from vascular surgery and has excellent hemostasis properties. At 1470 nm, the TULA® method offers the most effective penetration depth of 1 to 2 mm into the tissue and, with the second combinable wavelength of 980 nm, the possibility of treating even higher-risk bladder tumors more safely.
Non-muscle invasive bladder tumors usually have a high recurrence rate, which leads to several treatments. Older patients with pre-existing diseases are not suitable for conventional treatment under general anesthesia. TULA® now offers high-risk patients the chance of a minimally invasive and gentle therapy, which can be repeated as often as required.
Mr Philip James, also an urologist at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals, summarizes the results of their own patient survey. The patients had experienced the TULA® treatment very positively: three quarters of them had no pain at all. One quarter said that the perceived pain was well tolerated. Without exception, all patients would undergo the TULA® treatment again. This confirms the assumption that patients with TULA® would receive therapy with significantly fewer discomforts and problems.
In addition to TULA® treatment for bladder tumors, biolitec® continues to offer its proven BPH therapy LIFE in urology with its now optimized laser fiber XCAVATOR® and, more recently, the advanced FLA (Focal Laser Ablation) laser method for the treatment of prostate tumors. Here, high ablation rates can be achieved in the shortest possible time without blood loss with high power and accuracy. The laser operation method for BPH also considerably reduces the risk of retrograde ejaculation.
More information about the TULA® therapy can be found at www.biolitec.com (https://www.biolitec.de/en/applications/urology.html). There you can also watch a film in which doctors talk about their experiences with TULA® therapy.